Until It's Gone
by Jokarin
Summary: A take on the Yuru Yuri episode "The Akari That Leapt Through Time" from everyone else's perspective.
1. Chapter 1

A bright flash of light engulfed the entirety of the Amusement Club's room as Kyouko, Yui and Chinatsu shielded their eyes. As quickly as it started, it ended, leaving the three girls wide-eyed and slack-jawed from what they just witnessed. Just a few moments ago, while they were all cleaning the clubhouse in preparation for potential new members, the group ended up discovering a strange, almost futuristic, chair-like device stored in the closet. After a split-second deduction from Kyouko that it was some sort of time machine and a bit of messing about too close to the device itself, not only did the machine whir to life and suddenly vanish completely but it also took one member of the Amusement Club with it.

"A-AKARI?!"

"AKARI!"

"AKARI-CHAN!"

The three ran up to where the machine and their red-headed friend last were, wondering if they really saw what they did. There was no trace of either the time machine or Akari anywhere.

"...That was AWESOME!" Kyouko blurted out. She had to admit, she was impressed by the spectacle. Though it didn't last long before she received a swift bop to the noggin from Yui.

"Now's not the time to act amazed! Where did Akari go?!" Yui was definitely the most concerned of the three. Seeing one of her closest friends disappear into thin air was shocking.

"S-She was right here, right? She'll reappear after a while, won't she?" Chinatsu was worried, too. Akari wasn't exactly a person with a lot of presence, but this was way too much.

"...She's fine! She's gotta be. I mean Akari's been through worse, right? Give it a while and I bet she'll pop back up crying her eyes out just like always!" Kyouko stood proudly. Yui and Chinatsu looked at each other and then back at their friend. In a way she wasn't exactly wrong. Akari was a natural bad luck magnet. From tripping and falling face-first into the sand to being caught in a barrel rolling downhill to even being in the center of an explosion, she pretty much dealt with the worst of the worst yet still kept getting back up, dusting herself off and going along with her day. Technically this was right in line with all of the previous predicaments she got caught in.

With a groan Yui decided to go along with it. "Fine. We'll just occupy ourselves until she comes back. We've still got some cleaning to do anyway."

"If Yui-senpai says so...At least your word's more trustworthy than Kyouko-senpai's is." Chinatsu scoffed, causing Kyouko to pout. "What's that supposed to mean?! I'm totally trustworthy! Have I ever lied to you guys about anything ever?"

"...Are you seriously asking us this?" Yui replied in a deadpan matter, almost immediately ignoring her friend right after as she started sweeping up one of the main room's corners. The others soon joined in the cleaning as time continued to pass. Five minutes, ten minutes, thirty minutes...It wasn't until the school bell rang, signaling the end of lunch period, that the worry over Akari's disappearance began to increase. A lot more time had past than they expected.

"She'll be back in the clubroom safe and sound by the time school is out! Just watch!" Was what Kyouko stated before they headed back to class. Time moved by slowly, almost agonizingly so. While Kyouko wasn't quite as concerned, it was hard for Yui to focus on her work without worrying about Akari. Chinatsu would occasionally keep glancing at Akari's desk as class went on, then shift her gaze at the trees leading to the clubhouse. She was hoping that she'd see another flash of light; A sign that her friend had finally reappeared...but nothing of the sort happened. Finally the school day came to an end. Kyouko proudly marched in front of the others as they returned to the clubhouse, flinging the door open with vigor.

"A-KA-RI! That disappearing act of yours was really some-...thing...else...?"

All Kyouko saw was the same empty room as before. No changes, no differences, nothing. Yui and Chinatsu joined her by her sides, they could tell by the look on the blonde girl's face that Akari being gone for real was actually starting to sink in. She walked forward, looking around for any hint of Akari's reappearance.

"S-She's not...here?...Her house! Y-Yeah, I bet she came back by the time school ended and went back home! Let's go check on her! Let's go right now!" Kyouko stated, her cheerful-sounding voice cracking obviously as she bounced out of the room and back to the dirt path leading to the school. The trio rushed over to Akari's house as quick as they could, finding themselves standing outside its front door in mere minutes. Kyouko rang the doorbell, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for Akari to cheerfully open the door like she always did.

"Yes? Ah, it's Akari's friends." The person who answered the door wasn't Akari but her older sister, Akane. The older Akaza sister smiled perpetually at the girls as she always tended to, taking note of their worried looks. It almost seemed like she was expecting them to look that way.

"Akari's Big Sister! Akari's here, right? We need to see her!" Kyouko declared.

"Akari?...I'm sorry, she hasn't come home yet. I had assumed that she was still playing with the rest of you..." She replied. If the shock on Kyouko's face back in the club room was subtle then, it was obvious now. Akari actually disappeared. She never came back to school or the clubroom or even showed up back at her own home. Slowly, she turned back to Yui and Chinatsu before going into a total panic. "GUYS, AKARI'S GONE!"

"So now you're finally taking this seriously." Yui sighed before addressing Akane again. "Akari's been missing since this afternoon. Do you know where she may have gone?"

Akane pondered for a moment before answering. "Akari has many places she likes to go when she goes out on her own. She enjoys walking through town and the park nearby, for one..."

"ALRIGHT, I'LL HEAD NEAR THE MOVIE THEATER. YUI. CHINATSU-CHAN. PARK. SEARCH. BREAK!" Kyouko immediately sprinted off down the street, leaving her friends to quickly scramble off behind her and Akane standing at the door. Instead of growing concerned over the disappearance of her younger sister, she simply smiled and retreated back inside.

"Hmm. So it's that time, I take it. Oh Akari...I hope this week goes by fast. Not having you around is going to be unbeeearable..." She said to herself as she made her way up to Akari's room to spend some "quality time" with her younger sister's belongings.


	2. Chapter 2

"AKARI? AKARI, WHERE ARE YOU?"

"AKARI-CHAAAN!"

Yui and Chinatsu had been trudging back and forth through the park for almost an hour searching for their friend. The sun was beginning to set as the street lamps began to turn on one by one. The two decided to grab something to drink at a nearby vending machine before calling it a day. Chinatsu took a seat on a bench close by, staring down at the cobblestone path beneath her feet as Yui rejoined her with two cans of juice in hand. "Here, Chinatsu-chan. You've earned it."

"O-Oh. Thank you, Senpai..." The pink-haired girl answered. It was strange. Normally having her beloved senior treat her like this would send her heart a flutter, but not this time.

"You're getting really worried too, huh?" Yui asked. Chinatsu simply nodded in response, not saying a word. Yui sat down next to her, leaning back and taking a sip of her drink. "I'm sure she's fine. Akari seems like a pushover, but when we were little she was always right there next to me ready to help out in case we ever got into trouble. She was surprisingly tough."

"Really?...You're seriously talking about the same Akari-chan?" Chinatsu found it hard to believe that someone, as rude as it may have sounded, as pathetic as Akari actually had a tough personality as a kid. "That sounds like something Kyouko-senpai would say."

"It's the truth." Yui smiled. "Heck, Akari was always helping me look after Kyouko to make sure nothing made her cry..." She took another look up to the sky, the first few stars beginning to make themselves known as the sun set further. "Nowadays she may struggle to stay in the spotlight and her luck may have taken a blow or two...but if there's one thing she still is, it's resilient. Knowing her, she's probably more worried about how we're doing than herself."

Chinatsu felt a little better, sitting up straighter and looking a tad bit brighter. "Speaking of Kyouko-senpai, I wonder how she's doing. She just ran into town without really saying anything else..."

"I have no clue either." Yui answered. "I've never seen her look so panicky before..."

Kyouko had been scanning the streets up and down since speaking with Akane, never once deciding to take a break. The determined look on her face was so strong that it caused the various people she passed to steer clear almost instinctively. She was focused on finding Akari and proving that she didn't disappear for real, but the longer the search took the more anxious she grew. After running down one street after another she finally decided to take a quick rest and catch her breath. Night had already set foot and it was starting to get late.

"Akari...Where are you...?" She asked quietly. Suddenly a buzzing came from her bag. It was her cellphone. Kyouko frantically pulled it out to answer. "Hello?! Akari?!"

"...Sorry to disappoint you. It's me." Yui answered from the other end. Kyouko sighed. "Oh, Yui...Did you have any luck in the park?"

"No. We looked all over about three times. I just finished walking Chinatsu-chan back home."

"Aha...Good effort, then."

"...You've been searching non-stop, haven't you? You're breathing pretty heavily."

"Ngh..." Kyouko cursed herself for accidentally making it obvious. "I can still keep going, no worries."

"Kyouko, just give it up for now. It's a school night and you're running yourself ragged...Are you nearby?"

Kyouko took a quick look around. "Oh, I'm not that far from that convenience store by your apartment."

"Then come stay at my place tonight. You need a break. Plus we have homework to do."

"But...But what about Akari?"

Yui didn't say anything for a second, as if she were trying to formulate a plan herself. "We'll just have to sleep on it for now. Maybe Ayano and the Student Council can help out tomorrow."

"...Yeah. Alright. I'm heading over then." Kyouko agreed before making her way to Yui's place. She hated that she had to give her searching up, but she promised herself that she'd try twice as hard tomorrow if anything. A part of her was also hoping that when she woke up and went to school the next day that Akari would be there, safe and sound like always. She just wanted this to be a bad dream that she could wake up from...

* * *

"SHE'S MISSING?!" The student council erupted at the sudden news. The remaining members of the Amusement Club simply nodded in unison before Ayano frantically continued. "W-We deal with lots of stuff, but have we even dealt with missing students before?!"

"Not that I remember..." Chitose responded, a hand on her cheek. "This is quite the emergency..."

"A-Akari-chan..." Sakurako sniffled. "I-If she comes back I swear I'll never play any pranks on her again...f-for a whole week...end..." Himwari just groaned at her best friend's childishness. "Could you please take this seriously? Akaza-san could be in serious trouble for all we know."

Ayano turned to Matsumoto, who was seated at her desk. Unlike the others she didn't look as shocked by the news of a missing student as Ayano thought she would. "President, do you know what we should do in a situation like this?!"

"..."

Ayano sighed. "S-Sorry, but we don't know what you're saying."

Matsumoto puffed out her cheeks in a pout before deciding to write down what she said to make it easier for her underclassmen. She held it up for Ayano to read. "Let's see...'There's no need to worry. She'll reappear sooner or later.'...How can you even be certain?!"

"Now now, Ayano-chan." Chitose interrupted. "The president's keeping her thoughts positive. We all should, too."

Yui took the chance to step forward. "In the meantime, we'd really appreciate any help we can get searching for Akari. Asking around school, searching the town, anything would be a huge help..."

"OPERATION FIND AKARI-CHAN IS A GO!" Sakurako cheered, pumping her fists into the air. Himawari nodded in agreement. "We can help Yoshikawa-san since we're in the same class."

"Ah, good idea!" Chitose added. "In that case, we'll help Funami-san and Toshino-san. Right, Ayano-chan?" Ayano jumped at hearing that she'd be working with Kyouko, looking over to her crush. Kyouko wasn't exactly looking as chipper as she usually did. The current issue at hand was obviously eating at her. Seeing this, Ayano grew determined to help solve this mystery. "Of course. We'll do our Denmark darnedest!"

"Ayano...Thanks. We really appreciate it." Kyouko said sincerely, causing the ponytailed girl to flush red. "D-D-Don't even mention it! It's our responsibility to preserve the well-being of our fellow students, after all! A-Ahaheh...!"

Time passed as the group of girls planned out their own searches and before long the student council's room was empty of all but Matsumoto, who stood behind to handle the usual paperwork. Nishigaki-sensei, the school's explosion-loving science teacher, entered soon after. "Couldn't help but eavesdrop earlier, but I'm assuming the whole time machine thing's happened?" She asked Matsumoto.

"..."

"Yeah, seeing Toshino looking so glum was pretty weird. Pff, to think Akaza thought they didn't care about her being around."

"..."

"Oi, we can't just go and tell them about it. It'll ruin the fun. Plus this'll be a good lesson for them, too."

"...?"

"Well y'know how Akaza was thinking this whole thing was a chance for her to make herself more noticeable? How that little trait of hers was starting to grind at her?"

Matsumoto nodded.

"Well, this is the flip-side. They're nice girls, but sometimes they take things for granted." Nishigaki leaned against the window, watching the girls make their way out through the school gates and split into groups. "It's like that saying: You don't know what you've got until it's gone."


	3. Chapter 3

Days continued to pass and still there were no signs of Akari anywhere. Chinatsu, Himawari and Sakurako asked every single student in their class and others and each time it was the same answer; They had no clue where she could have gone. Ayano, Chitose, Yui and Kyouko would search all over town for any evidence of the girl but time and time again would come up empty-handed. The end of the week was getting closer and the group hadn't made any progress. As the weekend fell upon them, Kyouko decided to hold a club meeting between herself, Yui and Chinatsu at Yui's apartment that evening. Normally this would be an excuse to have some sort of party or sleepover, but the serious tone of Kyouko's voice meant that this actually was strictly business.

"So I wanted to talk to you guys about upping out search attempts." She stated to the others, the trio all sitting around Yui's living room table. "We've gotta do even more. Try even harder!"

"Kyouko...I'm sorry to disagree, but I think we should back up and think of a different way to do this." Yui sighed. "We've been at it since Monday. My feet are killing me from walking around town for hours on end everyday..."

"Himawari-chan, Sakurako-chan and I have asked pretty much everyone at school about Akari-chan, too." Chinatsu added. "Even the teachers haven't seen her. I don't know what else we can do at this point..."

Kyouko pounded the table harshly. "Are you guys saying you're giving up on finding Akari?! I thought you were her friends, too!" Her voice raised angrily, catching the others off-guard. They've never seen Kyouko look so harsh before.

"Oi, neither of us said that!" Yui snapped back. "We're trying to say that the way we're doing things now isn't working! We have to approach this differently if we want to find her."

Chinatsu agreed, still a bit shaken by the previous outburst. "S-Senpai's right! We've been doing the same thing all week! W-We need to try something new...!"

Kyouko took a few breaths, calming back down. "S-Sorry about that, I'm just-...I didn't mean to-"

"You've been at this way harder than the rest of us have. Don't you think deserve at least a bit of a break, too...?" Yui asked. While most of the others weren't exactly aware of it, Kyouko had been continuing to do things on her own after their group would part ways every day. She'd make another round through familiar parts of town and the local park, checking every nook and cranny of every street until late into the night. Even now Kyouko's eyes looks a bit tired with slightly dark bags showing underneath. The blonde quickly tried to laugh it off. "I-I'm totally fine! This is like pulling all-nighters before Comiket and stuff! I-I'm a workhorse, y'know!"

"Kyouko..." Yui crossed her arms. Kyouko's plastered-on grin quickly faded away as she glanced to the ground guiltily, causing her friend to sigh more. "I guess there's no helping it, then. How about you two spend the night here?"

Chinatsu was surprised. "Eh? S-Senpai, are you sure? It's so last minute!"

"I don't mind it. I can lend you two some pajamas so just make sure you let your folks know, okay?" Yui made her way to her closet to pick out some clothes as Kyouko tried to object. "H-Hey, you don't have to-"

"No, I do. Because if I don't you'll just keep going on your own until you crash and burn. So I'm going to make sure you get a good night's sleep." Yui spoke sternly, pulling out her set of futons and setting them up as she usually would. As she looked over them to make sure everything was placed right, she noticed one thing; She laid out four instead of three. "Ngh..." Yui clenched her fists in slight frustration as she folded the extra futon back up. Setting up beds for four was so habitual in nature for her. She turned back to the others. "You two go ahead and get changed. I'll get started on making us some dinner."

Kyouko and Chinatsu went along with things in the end as the three spend the rest of the evening sharing a meal, reading manga and playing video games like they usually did when they gathered at Yui's place. However, this time it just felt incomplete. Despite how hard they tried to act normal, the nagging fact that only three of them were together still distracted them. That fact continued its nagging throughout the evening up until the trio decided to call it a night, hoping that Yui's suggestion of a good night's sleep would actually help improve morale.

Halfway through the night, after some tossing and turning, the incomplete feeling proved to be just powerful enough to stir Yui awake. Deciding to get up and grab a drink of water, she noticed Kyouko standing out on the terrace outside her living room window. Her blonde locks fluttered lightly in the midnight breeze as she stared out over the skyline of the town. Yui quietly joined her, making sure not to make too much noise and risk accidentally waking Chinatsu up. "You shouldn't stay out here too long. You might catch a cold."

Kyouko looked over her shoulder just to make sure it was Yui who was speaking to her before returning her gaze back outward. "I'll be fine..."

"Can't sleep, huh...?"

"...Yui, she's out there somewhere. What if she's scared? Or hurt or something?"

"Oi, don't go assuming the worst...Besides, weren't you the one who said Akari's the type to put up with stuff like this?"

"I-I know, but..." Kyouko's eyes began to water. "...After so long without a single hint of her anywhere...I'm scared...I-I mean all four of us are best friends, aren't we? I know I poke fun at her a lot but...i-if something's happened to her, I don't-" Before Kyouko could finish, Yui enveloped her in a tight hug.

"It's obvious you're trying to keep a straight face during all of this. I'm the only one here right now...so just let out whatever you have to let out..." After a moment of silence, Kyouko clutched Yui's shoulders and began to sob into her. "Why isn't she coming back?! Doesn't she know how worried we all are?! It's not the Amusement Club without her! It's not the SAME without Akari there!"

All the while Yui quietly held onto her firmly, stroking her hair to try and calm her. As stone-faced as she tried to remain, even she couldn't help but tear up a bit. Out of everyone, she and Kyouko had been friends with Akari for as long as either of them could remember. Keeping up appearances for at least Kyouko's sake in this situation was really hard. "I know...Trust me, I know..."

Back inside the apartment neither of them knew that Chinatsu was also awake, overhearing their conversation from her futon. She gazed somberly over to the empty space next to her, where Akari would usually be sleeping. She reached out from under her covers, placing her hand on the space. The more time passed, the more desperate everyone seemed to get.

"Akari-chan...You idiot..."

* * *

Monday. It had now been one week since Akari had disappeared. A week filled with searching and worry. While Sakurako and Himawari sadly informed Chinatsu of their fruitless searching from the past two days, Ayano, Chitose and her twin sister, Chizuru, were currently trying to brainstorm with Yui in order to think up a new tactic. Ayano couldn't take it anymore. "AAAGH THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! We've looked all over town for days and haven't found anything even HINTING at Akaza-san's whereabouts!"

Chitose turned to her sister. "Chizuru, what about those posters you helped me place around the school? Have you seen anyone react?" Chizuru adjusted her glasses before shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Nee-san. I've noticed some students looking at them, but none of them seem to know anything..."

"And Chinatsu-chan and the others have asked basically every first year in school with no results..." Yui added, holding her forehead. "Something bigger...We need to do something bigger..."

It was then that Kyouko finally walked into class, a piece of paper gripped firmly in her hand. She marched over to the group and slammed the paper down on Yui's table. "We're using this." She said in a serious tone, looking at Yui as if she were silently asking her to take a look.

Yui gave the paper a once-over. It was a flyer with 'MISSING' written out in large letters. Underneath was a picture of Akari. It wasn't the best-looking one, her eyes were slightly obscured, but it showed just enough of her for someone to recognize her. Beside it was a list comprised of Akari's age, appearance and the last time she was seen. It looked like a type of flyer you'd see posted at one of the police outposts around town. Kyouko crossed her arms. "I was only able to make one, but I figured we can make a bunch using the school's copiers. Ayano...Can you guys make them for us? This is an emergency, after all..."

"E-Eh?...U-Um..." Ayano was a bit put off by being asked so directly, let alone from her crush, but quickly regained her composure. "We can do it. We'll have to make a lot of copies, but I'll inform the teachers that it's for official school-related matters. I'm sure Nishigaki-sensei can help with that, too."

"Thanks, you guys..." Yui handed the flyer to Ayano. "I'll let Chinatsu-chan know what the new plan is."

"Make as many as you can and bring them to the Amusement Club. After school we'll lay out the plans to hand them out around town." Kyouko ordered, before heading over to her seat. As the others dispersed, Yui turned back to her friend. She was staring at her desk as if she were deep in thought. "This is a good idea, Kyouko. We should get more of a lead this way."

Kyouko didn't immediately respond.

"Kyouko? What's the matter...?"

"...If this doesn't work, Yui..." She spoke quietly. "...If this doesn't work, we'll probably never see Akari ever again..."

"You're assuming the worst again..." Yui said, placing her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Getting those flyers out is the same as asking everyone in town where Akari is...I-If we still don't learn anything after going this far..." She clenched her hands together tightly.

"_This is bad...The longer this goes on, the worse Kyouko's getting..._" Yui thought to herself. "_Akari...Please be alright. You've got to come back for her sake, at least..._"

Time continued to pass as usual and before the group of friends knew it, the end of the day had arrived. Kyouko, Yui and Chinatsu hurried over to their clubroom to prepare things. As they approached, they noticed the familiar figure of Akane standing in front of the clubhouse's entrance. She was staring longingly at the building with a small smile. "So this is where Akari and her friends play together..."

"Um...Akane-oneesan?" Yui interrupted the older Akaza's thoughts, causing her to jump in surprise. "E-Eh? O-OH, Akari's friends! Forgive me, I just happened to space out for a moment there." She chuckled nervously.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Yui continued quizzically. It was strange to find someone who wasn't one of the student council members or Nishigaki outside of the clubhouse, even if it was one of their family members.

"Ah...I simply came by to check the last place my Akari had been seen before disappearing." Akane fibbed. "I was hoping to find some sort of clue here."

"Akari's been missing for a week and you wait until NOW to check things...?" Kyouko growled angrily before Yui quickly interjected in order to avoid any awkwardness. "I-If that's what you're here for than you're welcome to join us. We've been planning some stuff to help with the search."

"Funami-saaan!" The group turned around to find Ayano and the rest of the student council, including Nishigaki and Chizuru, carrying large stacks of flyers down the pathway. "We've got everything right here!"

"Perfect timing, Ayano. Let's get everything inside." With Akane's help the group of girls were able to transport the large stacks of paper into the clubroom. Once everything was situated, Yui and Ayano started laying down plans. "From the looks of it we have plenty of flyers for everyone to get a stack, so we'll divide things up between the Amusement Club and Student Council." Yui stated.

"We'll divide our stacks amongst each member, so for instance us Student Council members will get one main stack that we'll divide amongst ourselves until we all have stacks of our own." Ayano continued.

"Eh?! That's gonna take forever!" Sakurako shouted. "With how many copies we've got, it'll be sunset by the time we're done!"

"Not if we work fast! We've got plenty of hands to help out so it should go quick hopefully!" Chinatsu chimed in. "And if we do finish late, we can still hand out flyers on the way home!"

"Yoshikawa-san's right. We just have to work efficiently. For Akaza-san's sake." Nodded Himawari. The others nodded at each other before getting to work. The groups moved like clockwork as they dispersed the flyers as quickly and efficiently as they could, forming such a smooth rhythm that after a while Akane, Nishigaki and Matsumoto decided to quietly hang back and leave the girls to their work. As the clocked ticked by, their minds buzzed feverishly with a mix of worry and motivation.

"_Akari-chan..._"

"_We've been worrying so much..._"

"_Akaza-san, please..._"

"_This has to work!_"

"_Come back to us, Akari..._"

"_It's not the same without her here..._"

"_We can't give up now!_"

"_I'll never play jokes on her again!_"

"_You have to come back, Akari!_"

"_PLEASE!_"

Suddenly, as the yellow rays of the setting sun bathed the clubroom, a bright orb of light materialized in its center. Its appearance kicked up a strong torrent of wind, causing the girls to shield themselves as flyers went scattering all over the room. While it only lasted for a moment, it felt like forever as the light and wind slowly began to die down. Papers fluttering back down to the ground as everything grew silent once more. When everyone opened their eyes, there was the time machine, just as Yui, Chinatsu and Kyouko remembered it looking like. But what really grabbed everyone's attention was its passenger.

Akari quickly got up from her seat, fully expecting a fairly normal 'welcome back' type of reaction. "Everyone, I'm back! I hope I didn't cause too much trou-oumph!" Before she could finish, one of the flyers kicked up from her arrival smacked her square in the face. It took her a moment to regain her barrings before she pulled it off. "W-What was-..." She got a good look at the flyer, noticing her picture and description, as well as the large 'MISSING' text on top.

"Huh?...W-What's this all...about...?" When Akari turned her attention to the others, she didn't expect absolutely everyone to be in the clubroom at once. Kyouko, Yui, Chinatsu and the Student Council were all staring at her dumb-founded while Matsumoto, Nishigaki and Akane simply smiled at her knowingly, her sister giving a quick wave. Akari was confused. While she was dealing with her own concerns a year in the past, she had no clue how things were going back in the present. She didn't know how worried everyone was over her disappearance...or how strong the sense of relief they were all feeling right now really was.

"...A-...Akari..." Was the only word Kyouko could whimper. Her eyes glassing over before tears started pouring down her cheeks. After an agonizingly long and painful week, their special friend had finally returned home to them.

"Eh...?"

"...AKARIII!" Kyouko and the others lept up and surrounded Akari with tears in their eyes as the blonde gave her the biggest and most heartfelt hug she could muster. Akari couldn't help but tear up herself. She may not have known what had happened during her absence, but one thing was certain; This was the warmest welcome she had ever received from her friends.


End file.
